Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-three ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $284.48.

HUM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Humana from $305.00 to $316.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $283.00 price target on shares of Humana in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Guggenheim initiated coverage on Humana in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $326.00 price target for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $290.00 price target on shares of Humana in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Humana from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Humana during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Humana during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Humana by 63.9% during the 1st quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 118 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA increased its holdings in Humana by 56.3% during the 4th quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 125 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in Humana during the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

Humana Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HUM opened at $231.95 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $27.99 billion, a PE ratio of 23.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.43. Humana has a fifty-two week low of $212.45 and a fifty-two week high of $406.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 1.76. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $252.19 and a 200-day moving average of $264.01.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $11.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.07 by $1.51. The company had revenue of $32.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32 billion. Humana had a return on equity of 11.70% and a net margin of 1.02%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $7.23 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Humana will post 16.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 27th will be paid a $0.885 dividend. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 27th. Humana’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.04%.

Humana Company Profile

Humana Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides medical and specialty insurance products in the United States. It operates through two segments, Insurance and CenterWell. The company offers medical and supplemental benefit plans to individuals. It has a contract with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to administer the Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition prescription drug plan program; and contracts with various states to provide Medicaid, dual eligible, and long-term support services benefits.